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Power Sector Resources for Coronavirus Pandemic Response

As part of POWER magazine’s in-depth coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, its editors are curating a list of resources that may provide actionable information helpful to anyone involved in the world’s vast bulk power systems. Please write to [email protected] if you know of additional resources that should be added to this page. 

POWER Magazine’s Live Updates

General U.S. Industry Resources

  • The Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), a CEO-led council that serves as a principal liaison between the federal government and the power industry, maintains a consolidated list of online resources at the ESCC Workroom (login credentials required).
    • ESCC on March 10, 2020, published an evolving resource guide: “Assessing and Mitigating the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)” to guide informed localized decisions in response to the novel virus. It highlights data points, stakeholders, and options to consider in making decisions about operational status, while protecting the health and safety of employees, customers, and communities. The latest version, Version 4, was released on April 7. 
  • The Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC), an industry collaboration that provides private-level situational awareness on security threats, encourages ongoing information sharing via a portal (credentials required).
  • The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts research and development related to generation, delivery, and use of electricity, on March 27 issued a study on COVID-19 bulk system impacts, including demand impacts, and operational and control center practices.

Power Sector Trade Groups

  • Public Power. The American Public Power Association (APPA) has created an informative landing page, and on March 26 began issuing a weekly digest of COVID-19 news and its impact on public power utilities across the U.S.
  • Investor-Owned Utilities. The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a group that represents all investor-owned electric companies, has created an Industry Response Center and provides social media updates under the #powerthrutogether hashtag on Twitter.
  • Electric Cooperatives. The nation’s electric cooperative groups have created a regularly updated landing page for COVID-19 information. The page, published by cooperative.com, includes information from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA); the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation; Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, a national network of electric cooperatives across 46 states; and the Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange.
  • Independent Power Producers. The Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) is actively involved in the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, and the trade group says it is working closely with member companies to understand how their operations will continue in order to share that information with the government and others and communicate with media and the public. Todd Snitchler, EPSA CEO and president, has provided an update on LinkedIn.  
  • Wind. The American Wind Energy Association has a COVID-19 advocacy and related resources page.
  • Solar. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has a resource page that compiles information about how the pandemic impacts the solar business.
  • Energy Storage. The Energy Storage Association (ESA) has a Resource Center with updates about regulatory measures that could affect the industry.

Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO)/Independent System Operators (ISO)

  • New York ISO (NYISO). NYISO, an independent organization responsible for operating New York’s bulk electricity grid, administering New York’s competitive wholesale electricity markets, and conducting comprehensive long-term planning for the state’s electric power system, has a page dedicated to COVID-19 updates.
  • New England ISO (ISO-NE). ISO-NE says it has been in regular contact with peer ISOs/RTOs, regional transmission companies and other market participants, NERC, and the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC). It is providing COVID-19–related updates on ISO Newswire page.
  • PJM Interconnection. PJM, which cordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia, on March 12 began collecting COVID-19–related updates on its Info-Connection page. It is also posting materials and meeting information about the RTO’s efforts at its Pandemic Coordination page.
  • Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The entity that manages the flow of electric power to about 90% of the Texas’s electric load on March 31 made public its pandemic plan preparations.
  • California ISO (CAISO). CAISO says it is closely monitoring COVID-19 developments. It is publishing daily briefings. 
  • Midcontinent ISO (MISO). MISO, whose footprint extends across 15 U.S. states in the nation’s heartland, and the Canadian province of Manitoba, has a dedicated COVID-19 page that offers informative external updates.
  • Southwest Power Pool (SPP). SPP is actively updating a COVID-19 page with its responses.
  • Electric System Operator (IESO). Ontario’s grid operator is keeping stakeholders apprised on its home page.
  • Alberta Electric System Operator. Alberta’s grid operator has implemented a series of changes outlined on a special COVID-19 landing page.

U.S. Regulatory Resources

Federal Response

Federal agencies

  • The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) March 28 guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers, an advisory that identifies workers that are required to ensure functional continuity as COVID-19 spreads in the U.S.
    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) March 27–issued Coronavirus Hub, which contains updates from the Energy Department’s national laboratories, and key documents and protocols relating to communication with other federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health departments.
  • The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is maintaining a COVID-19 Information and Update landing page.
  • The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unveiled a special COVID-19 landing page intended to keep the public and stakeholders informed of actions it has taken in response to the coronavirus.
  • The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) created a webpage in March 2020 for public updates on COVID-19.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) landing page that collects news and regulatory updates pertaining to COVID-19 was created on March 26, 2020.

North American Reliability Corp. (NERC)

State Responses

  • The National Governors Association has a COVID-19 resource page, which provides updates on state efforts to address the pandemic.
    • On March 25 (and revised on April 2), the NGA sent its members a memo outlining how governors can best support and protect the energy industry during the pandemic. Specifically, it urges governors to consider that critical energy infrastructure employees be identified and credentialed in the event of a shelter-in-place order; it says critical infrastructure workers may need priority access to testing, PPE, and cleaning supplies; and it suggests waivers for fuel carrier standards and commercial drivers licenses may be needed to move critical utility supplies. 

General Guidance (North America)

International Power Sector Resources

  • The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) COVID-19 analysis hub. The IEA was created in 1974 to help co-ordinate a collective response to major disruptions in the supply of oil, and while oil security remains a key aspect of its work, the IEA has evolved and expanded significantly since its foundation.
  • The World Nuclear Association (WNA) has published and is actively updating a COVID-19 Coronavirus and Nuclear Energy page that summarizes responses to protect workers and ensure continued operations of the global nuclear fleet. The page is also monitoring the pandemic’s effects on mining, reactor operations, reactor outages, construction projects, and waste management and decommissioning.
  • The Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA’s), and the OECD’s COVID-19 outlook on the global economy.
  • The Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC’s) Wind Industry & COVID-19 Response Hub. The April 2020–created response hub has been set up to coordinate information and responses from the global wind energy sector, specifically those members involved in supply chain manufacturing and project execution, national and regional associations, governments, international institutions, analysts and the press.

Other Useful Resources

 

Stay up-to-date on POWER‘s COVID-19–related coverage here.

—POWER magazine editors (@POWERmagazine).

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